The Tenth Man [DVD]

If it were not clear from the opening titles that this is a TV adaptation of one of Graham Greene's last published works, the scenes of trapped Frenchmen in a Paris prison hearing the chirp of crickets and the mournful hooting of passing railroad freight trains from outside might give it away.

However, great performances by Anthony Hopkins and Kristin Scott-Thomas make this a proper drama unlike the clearly-1980s-Yugoslav-Railways history-book-blooper standard of Robert Mitchum's "The Winds of War".

In the story, the German Army arrests nine innocent men in occupied Paris to act as hostages to be shot in retribution for Resistance acts. Anthony Hopkins (the rich lawyer Chavel) is "the tenth man".

The question of "what is a life worth?" is examined as Chavel first draws the lot according to which he will be shot at dawn, then, in order to escape his fate, transfers his wordly wealth and his ancestral home to Janvier, another, poor, prisoner to take his place. Janvier is shot.

After the war, Chavel has survived and returns to his old home to discover that Janvier's mother has taken up residence along with Janvier's beautiful sister, Thérèse. Thérèse has sworn to kill Chavel should he return, to avenge her brother. Chavel does not let her know his true identity.

To complicate matters, just as Chavel and Thérèse seem to be falling in love, a gold-digging scoundrel arrives calling himself Chavel...he is after Thérèse and the house...so what will the real Chavel do?

There are no features on this DVD except subtitles. Although the official description says "Subtitles: Dutch, Finnish, French, Italian, Spanish" my copy had German also.

At Amazon's price, certainly a gripping alternative to a standard evening's TV fare! (you can also play "spot the Geoffrey "Catweazle" Bayldon"!)

Excellent actors and well conceived storyline elevate this movie from its ordinary TV movie of the month origins.
Set in WW II, Hopkins plays Cheval - an ordinary man, a lawyer, trying to live his life unobtrusively amid the occupation. His life is upturned when he is taken in along with a group of others by the Germans and put in jail, ready to be shot as an example to the resistance. When that time comes, he buys his life, giving all he has to another man who wishes to leave the house and wealth for his mother and sister Therese (Kirsten Scott-Thomas).
3 years later after the war, Hopkins returns to his house, and meets the sister, never letting on who he actually is. The lies threaten to unravel when a man (Derek Jacobi) then appears, announcing himself as Chavel.
The story is told in an economical way, leading to a relatively short 95 minute running time, and unfolds rather more like a play than a movie. The first act - the prison cell, where Chavel has the moment of weakness he will regret his whole life, The second act - Chavel after the war gains the trust of Therese. And then the third act - The stranger arrives and all the lies become a tortuous mess ultimately leading to a satisfying and inevitable conclusion.
It is not really a war story, but a character study. What can you do if you have a moment of weakness with consequences that cannot be undone? When all you have is guilt, what can be done to make things right? As for the production in general, the music is often overdone, but the subtlety of the acting and fine French locations cover over the TV budget cracks.
A typically well told Graham Greene story, with Hopkins bringing real nuances to the role of Cheval, this deserves a wider audience than its TV movie label suggests, even if it is not up with the best Greene adaptations. 7 / 10 (for the acting!)

From Jack Gold, who also delivered one of the best Inspector Morse episodes, come this Graham Greene adaptation with undertones of Martin Guerre.
The performances are first rate and the screenplay functions well, although it does suffer from being a TV Movie and trying to deal with too many chunks rather than letting the plot develop.
All of that said it is a really satisfying adaptation, with a mature and good story from Greene, a good and haunted performance from Anthony Hopkins and a beautiful Kristin Scott Thomas proving that she is not only more beautiful than other Hollywood stars, but she is also smarter and wiser as an actress, the scene of the "return" is a moment to note here.
If like me you didn't know this movie then give it a chance, something brought you to this page and at this price it is worth a gamble.